I have 2 lowrance hds 3 units in my boat. one in the bow and one at the console. they are networked together. im wanting to add a point-1 antenna. do I need two or can I just use one and how hard are they to install?
thanks

All you need is one. Turn your heading on your bow and console to the Point 1. Turn your bow GPS to local and your console to Point 1.

You need a nema 2000 network on your boat. If you have that, it's just another t connector. If you don't have one, you need the NEMA 2000 kit which comes with power you connect to a 12v source, then add your Point 1 t connector.

It's super simple, you will be happy with the upgrade for sure.

if they are networked together shouldn't I have nema 2000 network already? and thanks for the help

Not necessarily, most use Ethernet because it's better. See if you have the tiny black cable connected on the back of the graph.

Do NOT buy 2 point 1's, you will have a nightmare with issues.

I just installed mine and it works great when it works. I've been having to go into my bow graph and turn it to local every time I power it up. Anyone else having this issue? Any Fixes?

thanks for the info guys

It depends actually.

"Networked" is a general term so it depends on which type of network you have. The "network" port on the back of your HDS is an ethernet port and it shares information such as allowing you to have one map card shared by 2 units, and one structure scan transducer shared across units. The NEMA 2000 is a serial data network and it allows other types of data, including connecting non-Lowrance products to your network including Yamaha engine data, SonicHub2 and the Point 1 GPS.

So it depends on which one your have or if you have both.

If you already have NEMA 2000 it's literally a 5 minute install on the Point 1.

Is this for heading or GPS, or both?

So do you just replace the NEMA 200 with the Point 1?

Let me re ask the question. I went and looked at mine and it is an LGC-2000. It came with the boat and HDS gen 1 units. I upgraded the unit at the console to a touch unit and I'm looking to add another touch to the bow. But could I plug and play a point 1 antenna also? Just remove the old one and plug in the point 1?

The concept is the same, the older plugs (red and blue) were NEMA 2000 plugs but they had somewhat random connectors depending on the manufacturer. The new version of the NEMA 2000 uses black connectors and they standardized the design so every manufacturer builds them the same way.

To answer your question, when you buy a Point 1 it will come with a T connector made to plug into a NEMA network.

The network will have an end plug, then a T for each device connected (one T will be power) then another end plug. That's it. You just add new devices with new T connectors between the 2 end plugs.

The data data being sent is going to be the same for you so, it will "work." The question is will it fit? It depends on the age of your NEMA network.

You have 2 options. Buy the Point 1 and try it. If it doesn't fit your existing NEMA connectors, 1. buy an adapter (may be hard to find) and the adapter will retro fit your new Point 1 to an old NEMA network or 2. Buy a new Lowrance NEMA 2000 kit and just upgrade your network.

The NEMA 2000 upgrade is something around $60 on Amazon. It seems intimadating because of all the standards out there and network options but it's honestly super easy to install. Especially if you have an old NEMA network in place because you can use it as your template and just plug and play the new version the same way the old version is wired.

Let me know if that helps.

I bought a Nema 2000 starter kit and one extra T connector. I have two HDS Gen 2 touch units connected to a single point 1. You will have to tell each unit to read the point 1 instead of the internal GPS.

If you have your Point 1 puck on the stern it's better to have the bow unit use it's local GPS and the console use the Point 1 GPS.

That way when you drop a waypoint while idling over structure, then turn around and jump on the trolling motor to fish it, you will narrow the error between the 2 units. If you don't and you have a 20 ft. boat, your always going to have to compensate for the length of your boat when approaching waypoints because the unit you are looking at is using a GPS source 20 feet behind you.

It does this for the GPS.

Thanks for the input. I watched a video explaining installation so it makes a little more sense. If I upgrade I will when I get another newer unit up front. The thing I don't get is, it makes sense what you said about having the unit up front on its own GPS, but if the GPS in the units is that good, then why not just run both units on their own GPS settings ?